Expect a close one in the NLL semifinal down in Denver

With a circuit of nine teams, all of which boast some of the best players in the game, expectations are that playoffs will be close.

No one team running away with it.

So the difference between calling it a season and extending it one more week is finite.

“I think it’s mental discipline,” explained Calgary Roughnecks head coach Curt Malawsky, whose team tangles with the Colorado Mammoth on Saturday in their West Division semifinal in Denver (7 p.m.).

For Malawsky and the Riggers, it’s a return to the post-season after missing out last year.

“Staying out of the penalty box is one big, big area,” Malawsky continued. “Winning the transition game is another big area — making sure your offence and defence get opportunities on the floor. You have to make sure your special teams are solid, that you’re valuing multiple possessions. All those areas come down to that mental discipline, and that’s the difference between winning and losing.”

“I don’t know if there’s an exact formula,” added Roughnecks defender Dan MacRae. “It’s going to sound cliché — good start, 60 minutes and smart on the floor. All those things are under the microscope that much more. The team that can control their emotions and keep it in check the best might be having an edge out there.”

Three times the two teams met during the 2018 regular season, with the Mammoth winning a pair.

Early in the year, when the Roughnecks were wading through their 1-5 start, the Colorado club was an 11-7 victor. In the middle of the year, when the Riggers began their resurgence, they won 13-9. Their final match saw the Mammoth win a low-octane affair 8-7.

“The last game we lost to them, our offence didn’t show up to play,” said Riggers forward Dane Dobbie. “We can’t go out there and expect that seven goals is going to get us the win. Offensively, we have to be better. I truly believe we’re pretty equal … I think it’ll come down to the offensive side of things and putting the ball in the net.

“I think we have something to prove by being put out last year, and I think our guys are ready. We have to leave it on the floor like there’s no tomorrow.”

Which, in fact, there will be should they lose.

The Mammoth present a wealth of challenges. the Riggers offence needs to be wary of a staunch defence and an excellent goaltender in Dillon Ward, who has an 11.06 goals-against average and a .781 save percentage. The leader in both categories is the Roughnecks 20-year-old goalie, Christian Del Bianco, with a 10.50 GAA and a .793 SPCT.

“They’ve been the best defensive team the last two, maybe three years,” said Dobbie. “Dillon’s a great goalie, and you just have to keep grinding and, hopefully, the ball drops. You know he’s going to have parts of the game where he’s going to be very good, and hopefully, we can eventually get to him and open the floodgates a little bit.”

“I think they have the complete package,” said Malawsky. “I don’t see a lot of holes in their game. They don’t beat themselves, right from the start to the end. For us, we’re going to need to play as close to mistake-free lacrosse and as disciplined lacrosse we can play.”

From a defensive point of view, there is no one or two individuals to key on. They come at you as a unit and thus need to be defended likewise.

“Ryan Benesch is a threat, doesn’t matter what team he’s on,” said MacRae. “On the right side, Jeremy Noble stirs the drink for them — anytime we’ve played them, we’ve had to try to make him as uncomfortable as possible. And Stephen Keogh has been having a heckuva year — seems like he’s on a highlight reel every weekend.

“If we play a good five-man unit system, it’s never really reliant on one guy shutting down one guy. If we can win the possession battle, then we’re doing our job.”

Other comparisons worth noting: the Mammoth power play is clicking at 53.3 percent, while the Roughnecks are at 46.5 and just marginally higher on the road at 47.9; the Mammoth lead the penalty-kill department at 55.4 percent, with the ‘Necks close behind at 53.2. Colorado, incidentally, was the least penalized team in the NLL this year.

“This is a totally new season,” added Dobbie, who tops the league with 16 PP goals. “A lot of guys haven’t played in a playoff game, but we have all the confidence in the world in them. We’re excited to get it underway, and we don’t want it to be over. The playoffs in the league go quick, right? You could be done on Saturday, and we don’t want that to happen.”

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